


Ghosts (Don't) Exist

by Mystic_Shadows



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: A little angst, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, F/M, Kinda fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29887395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Shadows/pseuds/Mystic_Shadows
Summary: Sea Hawks' found a really cheap apartment! Sure, the room gets cold often. Sure, it's weird that there's noises, and the TV and radio change randomly. But that's nothing, right?
Relationships: Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a Write This in Your Own Style, the idea from Tumblers nonbinarychaoticstupid...
> 
> I went and completely changed everything from the idea, but you should still go read their stuff...
> 
> This is also another multi-chapter work, because of course it is.

Sea Hawk sets down the last box, looking around at the new apartment. He'd gotten it cheap, half as much as other apartments go for. He'd paid the landlady, Shimmer or Glitter or something, the first two months rent in cash. She'd looked at him, told him the apartment had rules. "Not the building," she clarified, "the apartment. It didn't like loud noises, TVs and radios would turn off at a specific time, no matter what. And it had preferences about music, rock was good. Be careful with books, no dog-earing them. Make sure to recycle, correctly. You'll learn the rest as you go." She'd left him, then.

Sea Hawk shakes himself out of the memory, stretching his arms above his head and cracking his back.

_Ugh_

He looks around, he'd thought he'd heard a sound. Shrugging his shoulders, he turns his radio on, smiling as his favorite shanty comes on. He turns it up, humming along as he unpacks.

The radio turns off, and Sea Hawk looks around. He turns it back on, and starts singing along.

The room gets cold, and Sea Hawk shivers, wrapping his arms around himself. The radio changes to a rock station and Sea Hawk shakes his head. "C'mon," He says, speaking to the room. "Just until I finish unpacking?" He turns it back to the shanty, but keeps it down. The temperature warms up slightly.

Once he's done unpacking, he turns the radio back to the rock station. "Thanks. I'll leave this on for you." 

Sea Hawk lays down, wondering. It's not that he's superstitious, not really. But he didn't really want to annoy whatever might be in the apartment. Maybe this is why the apartment was so cheap. 

The next morning, he wakes up slowly. He's glad it's a weekend, it'll give him time to settle in. He hums as he makes scrambled eggs on the stove. 

Sea Hawk sits at the table, making notes on his calendar, trying to set up a plan for the next month. He shivers, the room cold. Ignoring the knocking, he studies the calendar, shaking his head. A glass shatters in front of him and he jumps, looking up and noticing that he'd left the stove on. "Thanks, but next time, can you find a different way to let me know?" He turns off the stove.

Sea Hawk shivers, noticing his breath fogging the air in front of him, as the temperature drops. "Ok, ok! I'm sorry I ignored any warnings, I'll be more careful! Can you warm up the kitchen, please?" He feels a little foolish talking to an empty room, but he's got a suspicion that the room isn't actually empty. He figures he might as well roll with it, maybe it's like Casper or something. Wait, should he introduce himself to the room? Or is that weird? Sea Hawk shrugs, going back to his calendar. Finishing writing, he goes to leave the room and hesitates, looking back at the room. "I'll be gone most of the day, I guess do whatever, but try to keep the lights low or off? Until I get a job, anyway. Umm, bye, I guess?" 

Sea Hawk drags himself back to the apartment, collapsing into the bed. There's soft rock playing and he thinks he feels fingers in his hair. He murmurs nonsense, falling asleep immediately. He wakes up with the sun the next morning, groaning. He sits up, stretching and pauses as he catches sight of an empty plate on the table. "Is this your way of telling me to eat? Don't worry, yesterday was an accident, it doesn't happen often." Sea Hawk reassures the room. There's a cool breeze against his face and he closes his eyes. 

He bolts down his breakfast, being careful to turn off the stove. Cleaning the plate, he leaves it in the sink and informs the room, "I'll probably be gone all day again. Turns out the docks are hiring, and that'll help out a lot. Same as yesterday, I guess." He pauses on the other side of the door, smiling as he hears a rock station blare. 

Sea Hawk stumbles into the apartment that night, yawning. He heads towards the bed, stopping in his tracks as he thinks he's about to run into someone. "Sorry." He mutters, going to sidestep the other person, pausing as he realizes that there's no one there. "Ummm. Can I get through?" A cold breeze assaults him, pushing him towards the kitchen. "Oh, yeah. I promised to eat dinner, didn't I?" The cold breeze turns cool, but still pushes him. He laughs, shaking his head. "Ok, ok. I'm going!" Sea Hawk makes dinner and eats quickly. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, featuring genuine ghost investigating techniques!

Sea Hawk wakes up, jumping out of the bed. While eating breakfast, he talks to the room. "Hey, I'll be at the college during the morning, library in the evening, I need to check something out."

He arrives back that night with a package. He feels the presence hover nearby, the spot just a bit cooler than the rest of the room. "Ok, I hope this actually works, or I might be going crazy." He pauses in the middle of opening the package. "Or, well. Crazier, I guess? I've had people tell me I was crazy, but honestly, the boat was mine and how was i supposed to know that boats and fires don't mix?!" Sea Hawk resumes opening the package, showing that he'd bought a voice recorder.

Sea Hawk lifts the voice recorder, showing it to the room. "I spent all evening researching, everyone says that I should be able to hear you through this." He waves it around. "I... honestly have no clue how, exactly, it's supposed to work, if you just talk or imprint onto it or what. But a lot of the books I read say that it's harder to manipulate objects, like turning the radio stations, so you should be able to do this. Willing to try it?" 

Sea Hawk gazes around the room, hoping the presence is there. There's a slight breeze across his face, it feels like agreement.

"Ok, cool. Ummm, hold on one moment, let me...just." Sea Hawk fumbles with the recorder, trying to turn it on. "Wait, why isn't it...ummm. It doesn't seem to be working, I don't…" Hearing a clanking sound, Sea Hawk looks up, noticing the batteries laying in front of him. "Oh! Yeah, batteries. That would help, wouldn't it?" Inserting the batteries, he checks that it's on. "Ok, it should be recording now. Try talking!" He encourages the room.

Feeling the cool breeze circle him, Sea Hawk waits a few minutes, to give the presence time to talk to the recording. "Ok, can you try telling me your name through here? That way, I can actually address you." Sea Hawk waits some more, then says, "Ok, I'll play it back, let's see if it worked!" 

He listens to the recording, frowning as he realizes that there's no response. He shakes his head, looking around the room. "Well, the books did say it might take awhile, it's an adventure for us, yeah? Let's try again, I'll leave the recorder on during dinner and listen afterwards. Maybe try yelling into it or something?" Sea Hawk leaves the recorder on the table as he makes and eats dinner and cleans up from it. 

"Ok, let's see if it worked!" Sea Hawk listens closely to the recording, pausing as hears something after he finished talking. He rewinds, listening again. There's a groan! "It worked! Kinda, I was able to hear you a bit." * _Won't work*_ Sea Hawk laughs, "I heard you! I heard you on the recording, your voice is beautiful, dear. Told you it'd work. If I leave it on again, can you tell me your name?" He sets it up again, hands shaking...Sea Hawk can't believe this is happening, he's actually talking with someone! He hadn't expected it to work, not really, he'd thought...he doesn't know what he'd thought. 

He waits, foot tapping, and wonders…"Wait, can you say if you're male or female or other? Because…" Sea Hawk blushes, "Anyway, I just need to know if I should be careful." After waiting some more, he goes to listen. "Those shows about ghosts make it seem so much easier and quicker to talk to ghosts." * _Laughter_ * after his question. "Hey! It's...a semi-serious question, I mean, I don't want to walk around naked if you'd be uncomfortable with it." Sea Hawk protests. "And you still haven't told me your name. I can't just keep calling you...you, I need a way to address you! One more time, then I'll leave you be tonight." 

Sea Hawk sets it up again and waits, fingers drumming against his legs. He feels the cool breeze get colder, brushing against his hair, then disappearing, and the recorder falls off the table, Sea Hawk jumping at the ensuing thump. "Ok, I guess this means you're done for the night?" He reviews the recording. There's silence, and he wonders if the presence had gotten bored or annoyed with him when he hears a voice on the recording. * _Mermista_ * Silence again. * _Wait, no_!* Then the thump as the recorder falls. "Mermista." Sea Hawk says. "Beautiful name, dear. If you're ok with it, can we try this again tomorrow?" The cool breeze returns, blowing against his face. "Awesome. Have a good night, Mermista."


	3. Chapter 3

Mermista really hadn't expected the Afterlife to be this boring. She's not sure what she expected, not really, but not this. Every day is exactly the same, just existing in an in-between. She watches as the man brings in boxes, then stretches, wondering how long he'd stay in her apartment; the others had never lasted very long.

_Ugh_

The man looks around and Mermista tilts her head, did he hear her? The man shrugs his shoulders and turns the radio on, listening to a shanty.

Mermista shakes her head, rolling her eyes, as she turns off the radio. He turns it back on and she glares at him, lowering the temperature. _Not a shanty._ She turns it to her favorite rock station. 

The man shakes his head and speaks. "C'mon, just until I finish unpacking?" He turns it back to the shanty, keeping at a low volume. Mermista rolls her eyes, but relents.

Once he's done unpacking, he turns the radio back to the rock station. "Thanks. I'll leave this on for you." Mermista watches the man leave and looks at the radio. He's the first one to not only listen to what she wanted, but also talked to her.

The next morning, the guy wakes up and makes eggs using the stove. Mermista hangs out, watching him, it's not like there's anything better to do. She realizes that he's left the stove on and tries to turn it off. Realizing she can't, it would take more energy than she can do right now, she groans and drops the temperature around the guy, to get his attention. Mermista sees him shiver, but otherwise stays interested in the calendar. Mermista sees if she has enough energy to knock on the table, letting out a groan as he ignores that too, and she sweeps her arm across the table, knocking the glass off the table, wincing as it shatters.

The guy jumps at the sound, looking up and finally turning off the stove. "Thanks, but next time, can you find a different way to let me know?" He turns off the stove.

_I tried, you idiot!_ Mermista drops the temperature sharply, smirking as she sees his breath fog the air. "Ok, ok! I'm sorry I ignored any warnings, I'll be more careful! Can you warm up the kitchen, please?" The guy leaves the room and hesitates, looking back at the room. "I'll be gone most of the day, I guess do whatever, but try to keep the lights low or off? Until I get a job, anyway. Umm, bye, I guess?" Mermista watches him leave, why was...was he talking to her? Did he know she was there?

The guy comes back late, collapsing into bed. Mermista leans over him, attempting to brush his hair away from his eyes, jerking her hand back as he murmurs something before he falls asleep. Mermista turns off the soft rock she'd been playing, then pauses as she realizes the guy hadn't eaten.

Maybe he needs a reminder? As Mermista summons up the energy to carry a plate to the table, she pauses; why does she care if the guy eats or not? It's not really her business, but as she studies her barely-there reflection, she thinks about the guy talking to her. It was...nice, that he was including her, even if he didn't know it. 

The next morning, Mermista waits for him to wake up, to see his reaction. Once he catches sight of the plate, he pauses. "Is this your way of telling me to eat? Don't worry, yesterday was an accident, it doesn't happen often." Mermista sighs, strangely happy that he hadn't freaked out about it. 

He bolts down his breakfast, being careful to turn off the stove. Cleaning the plate, he leaves it in the sink and as he leaves, the guy tells Mermista, "I'll probably be gone all day again. Turns out the docks are hiring, and that'll help out a lot. Same as yesterday, I guess." The second he leaves the apartment, Mermista decides to blare rock music, she feels better with it playing.

The guy stumbles into the apartment that night, yawning. He heads towards the bed, and Mermista stands in front of him, crossing her arms. _Not yet._ He stops, barely avoiding running into her. "Sorry." He mutters."Ummm. Can I get through?" Mermista rolls her eyes, pushing him towards the kitchen."Oh, yeah. I promised to eat dinner, didn't I?" She still pushes him. He laughs, shaking his head. "Ok, ok. I'm going!" The guy makes dinner and eats quickly. 


End file.
